SIM - Sports In Motion

I'm Back!! 2011 update

2011-07-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome again, to those of you who have followed the blog in the past, sorry for the long lapse in entries, to those of you who are reading for the first time, bienvenidos! I have so much to catch up on, I am lost at where to start, but I will do my best. The last entry I left off was when I was leaving Guatemala after living there for about 4 months. It was basically the start of Sports In Motion and the many avenues it explored at the time. We had only a few projects going on as I was investigating the need in the area. Looking back on it now, the major accomplishments were renovating the multi-purpose sports court and starting a tennis program in Zacapa. Since then, I have continued to go back and forth from St. Augustine/Gainesville, FL to Guatemala 3-4 times per year and continue the work we started. Great strides have taken place in those 3 years.

Here are a fewof the major accomplishments in those years:

-Jan 2009: Light poles were bought and put up at the multi-use sports court for night play. Now the community has an a

ctivity and a place to join after dark (which is around 6pm)

-June 2009: A group from Kentucky (love you guys!) helped paint the lines and clean up the surrounding courts. Being from Gainesville, FL and a baby gator all my life, I had to go with the orange and blue, sorry Wildcats :(

- 2009: Built a 10X10 hut with shaded covering for Glinda. Glinda is the caretaker of the courts and this was a gift to ho

pefully give her another sustainable income to sell drinks and food out of.

- 2008-Present: Continued support and clinics at the Zacapa sports complex. Assisting Gustavo Ramirez, a local teenager who

has dedicated all his energies to becoming a tennis pro, with donations of balls and rackets as well as educating him on how to become a tennis professional. The program there is continuously growing with juniors obtaining national rankings.

- Oct 2010: I sponsored Gustavo and Rueben to visit

the United States on a Visa for tennis training. They stayed with me in Florida and trained on how to become a better player and instructor. It was their first time in an airport and away from home so needless to say, it was the trip of their lives!

- Summer of 2009 – Renovation of the soccer field at the nutrition center! This was a major undertaking. It took about 2 to 3 weeks of constant bulldozing by the most amazing person I have met in Guatemala, Edgar. We had to take down about 8 feet of earth from one end and raise the other by about 10 feet as well as expand in length and width.

- Donations! SIM has received countless donations in the past 3 years from balls, shoes, clothing, sports equipment, etc.. Keep them coming and THANK YOU!!!

These are all of the physical improvements that have taken place in the past 3 years. The improvements I value the most though are the relationships that we have built and the lives that have been touched due to everyone’s commitment to show some love down here in this area of Guatemala. I apologize for such a long break in the blog. I have gone through a whirlwind of emotions and changes in the past few years which has distracted me from sharing one of my greatest passions in life. Thank to all who have made this passion possible. From volunteers that helped out even though it wasn’t your project to all of the staff at HIM that make everyone’s passions possible to my family and friends that always show love and support. I will upload some photos to go along with the descriptions of projects.

God Bless

Addison Staples

Half-Way

2008-08-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Set Back

2008-08-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

I think the pictures speak for themselves!

Before and After Pictures

2008-08-28T17:11:00.001-07:00

Day One

Day 90

Day One

Day 90

Before and After Pictures

2008-08-28T16:57:00.001-07:00

Day One

Day 90

Day One

Day 90

Before and After Pictures

2008-08-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

Day One

Day 90

Day One

Day 90

The Final Days

2008-08-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since my last blog and for that I do apologize, I wish I could have written more myself. Since my last blog a couple of weeks ago, I have had to make a lot of decisions concerning when to come home and how to rap things up before I leave. On my last blog I informed about the tennis progress I was making in this area. Well one of the decisions that had to be debated was that the director of sports for Zacapa did offer me a job to work at the training facility as the tennis director. At the moment I did not give him an answer. After being here for three months and making a lot of progress, a part of me did not want to stop and wait until next summer to pick up where I left off. On the other hand, I have numerous responsibilities back in St. Augustine that I can not avoid. So after seriously considering the offer, I declined. I wanted to stress to the director and students that I want to see this program succeed and I will do everything in my power to help it along. The biggest need for tennis to succeed in this area and complex is a qualified instructor to take charge and build a program. The response from the children and a few adults are positive with motivation to get better. So after a month's worth of clinics, Wednesday and Saturday's, this past Saturday was my last clinic. After getting to know a couple of students and watching their progress over a month's span, it was difficult knowing that this will be, for some of them, their last time on a tennis court. Not very often do these kids get an opportunity to get a free clinic to learn a new sport, I am just hoping I instilled an interest in them to continue the sport that they have been taught. I did want to find an instructor to continue clinics or to create some type of league play, but since I did not I entrusted one of the students to hold on to some of the equipment until I return. I made all the kids exchange their phone numbers so they could keep in touch with the people they met and try to create a time where they come out and hit around or run some of the drills I showed them. So needless to say, this was one of my greatest accomplishments since I have been down here and I have high hopes for the future of this program.
On a different note or decision, I am proud to say that the multi-use court is finally taking shape. After the fall and the weeks worth of picking up the pieces, I decided to try and rebuild it before I left. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a good idea because for one, I wasn't sure if it could be done before I left since there was so much to do and two since I was not physically able to do any of the work myself, hiring is always a sticky situation. One of the biggest obstacles in rebuilding the wall and bleachers is finding the right help to do it. Finding a trust worthy mason and working crew is a task within itself. I must have had a dozen locals come up to me and ask me to hire them for the job. But with my horrible Spanish and not knowing them personally, I did not want to make the same mistake twice. So after a couple of weeks of searching and debating, I found someone to do the job. He was recommended by a friend here and he lived 45 minutes away which means he had to stay at the site until it was done. So we decided to let them stay in the empty room of the school up above. All they asked for was a hot plate to cook food on(think about that for a minute). So I found some extra mattresses and gave it to them to sleep on something other than hard cement. So within a couple of days of hiring them, progress was unbelievable. This time I wanted to make sure this wall stood up against the toughest of rains so one night I went down to look at the court when we had a good rain and saw first hand where all the water ran. So I decided to make some changes to the original plans. Within a week and a half the job was complete and the second wall was up and standing. Not only did this one have a wall, we also put concrete bleachers in front of the long wall. After that job was complete I decided to re-hire them to put concrete between the wall and the court where there was dirt originally. I did not want any of the dirt washing on to the court and causing more problems. So I am happy to say that the court project is mostly complete except for some minor cosmetic touches. This project was one of the hardest obstacles, physically and mentally, that I have ever encountered but one of the most gratifying as well. I met some of the most amazing people building that court and made some hopefully life long relationships.
One of the last accomplishments I made at the work site had to do with the local kids in the area and all the donations from everyone in the states. At the beginning of the summer, I wanted to develop some kind of system to let kids have access to some of the sports equipment S.I.M. has. I did not want to come down and just give away soccer and tennis ball, uniforms, shoes, etc.. As much as I wanted to, I know in the long run it would not serve the vision I see for sports programming in this area. Because to be honest, the minute I give away a bunch of free sporting equipment, I will be known to them only for that. So I wanted to develop at first a lending system. I first started out with lending them soccer balls during the day. While we were at the worksite working I would let them use some of the equipment to play with other kids and then towards the end of the day, we would join in. But at the end of the day, I would ask for all the equipment back. Only a couple of times did something get stolen. So after that worked, the kids were asking for soccer balls after we left so they could continue playing. So I picked one kid in charge of taking care of the ball until we returned the next day. For a while this system was working. The kids were sharing the ball and returning it the next morning. But after a while, excuses were coming up along with the balls missing and eventually they lost there trust with me. So I decided that if I was going to loose a ball either way, either by donation or renting it, I came up with another system. Some of the kids not only wanted soccer balls but some of the kids on the school's soccer team did not have shoes for their games. So I decided to make a work system where the kids would have to work for what they wanted and then it was theirs. For the kids that needed soccer shoes, they had to work five afternoons after they get out of school( for the ones that went to school). For other articles such as clothing and soccer balls, less days were assigned. So I decided it would be best if they worked on their own soccer field and basketball court. This way, they were all working on something that belonged to the community and they would be proud of where they put so much time and effort in to. So I think from now on, if the kids want something, just like everyone else they are going to have to work for what they want. I believe this is a much better choice than coming down here and handing out a bunch of free stuff. So that has been another one of my better accomplishments.
As I am tying up some of my loose ends, I am having many emotions run through. I am grateful for every experience I have gone through here, good and bad. I am frightful that all the work I have down will be lost in time until my return. I will miss all the friends I have made since my arrival. All of these emotions are good I guess because it shows me that we did make an impact here. I pray that the people I tried to help learned from me as much as I learned from them and take that with them throughout their life. I will try write another follow-up blog before I leave with all the heart filled words about my stay. Until then...

2008-08-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

First Official Tennis Clinic in Zacapa

First said in English, clarified in Spanish

Robin serving up an ace!

3 Forehands across

Julio trying to be the next Nadal

The crew!

2008-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

First Official Tennis Clinic in Zacapa

Introductions

The Director of Deportes in Zacapa

The famous ball hopper. Yes, it is a baksket bolted to a stool!

Burt giving the ball for a ride!

A little backhand demonstration

Tennis In Guatemala Update!

2008-08-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

In my last blog, I left off explaining the second to last trip that will come for this summer. Instead of describing the last trips accomplishments, I want to inform everyone of the amount of tennis progress we have made in this area. If you can remember in one of the former blogs, I wrote of a sports complex in the city of Zacapa that contained numerous courts, fields, tracks, and swimming pools. So one of Jeff's last days while he was here, we found this sports complex and played a little tennis. Since then it has been bugging me that I didn't know about this place so I set out on a mission to find out more about it. After a couple of days running around I found the Director of Sports Programming for the state of Zacapa at a building named "Casa de Deportista." So I set up a meeting with him to talk about tennis in the area. During the meeting I learn that there is currently no tennis program in Zacapa but there was at one time. I guess there has been previous coaches who have came in and taught for a bit and then fade out as they loose interest. I also learned that there has been successful tennis players that have came from this area and possibly from this complex since it was built over 40 years ago. So after the meeting, the Director was very excited to the possibilities of me helping out. We agreed to hold a tennis clinic this past Saturday as he would go around to some of the local schools and recruit participants. So with the help of Jeff's donations of racquet and balls as well as what I had brought down, I had everything to teach a clinic except a ball hopper. I will let the pictures explain. So Saturday morning came around and we scheduled the clinic from 9:00-11:00 am because of the rain in the afternoon. As I showed up, there was already 6 kids out on the court playing which was a relieving site since I was afraid that no one would show up. As I started setting up 6 more kids showed up as well. So all in all, 12 kids, 1 instructor(myself), 2 interpreters & friends( Julio and Bert), 1 director of sports, and Robin (for those who don't know her, she is another long-term volunteer with HIM). The Director made an announcement as well as myself and then we got started. I could not have done it without Julio and Bert's help interpreting all the instructions. Half-way through the lesson, an older gentleman jumped in the clinic who actually knew how to hit the ball which was very interesting to see. After about two hours of drills and games I let them hit around for a bit while I talked to a few parents about teaching their kids. Everyone who was involved seemed eager and willing to learn the game and to take lessons seriously, it was very encouraging to see. After the clinic the Director explained that I am only here for another month and asked if anyone would be interested in another clinic. The response was overwhelming which felt good so we decided on Wednesday and another Saturday clinic. Since some of the kids attend school in the afternoon, I agreed to do one clinic in the morning for a couple of hours and one in the afternoon. I will be sure to update everyone on the success of those clinics as well. That day was one of the most fulfilling days since I have been down here. It felt amazing to teach a game that I have dedicated my career to, to kids that some have never seen the game ever played. I am excited about the possibilities of growing a tennis program here in this area. Donations of tennis equipment will be the easiest part while developing a program of lessons, leagues, and recreational play will be the biggest obstacle of this complex. So we'll have to see how this week goes. Counting this past clinic and the ones I did with Jeff while he was down here, the tennis clinic count is past 5. Some were more formal than others, where some kids didn't even have shoes on but I am still hopeful that I will find that one kid who wants to be the next Nadal. Well, that is your tennis in Guatemala update, I hope it finds everyone well. I will try and update the last group's trip soon as there are many stories from that one as well. I will post pictures of the clinic as well as some other courts in Guatemala. Until next time, take care and God bless!

2008-08-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Picture Set 3 of Fallen Wall

After a couple of days worth of work!

2008-08-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Picture Set 2 of Fallen Wall

Another example of the amazing support from the local community

The Wall that Was

2008-08-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

Picture Set 1 of Fallen Wall

The day after the fall

The Rebuilding Process & Tennis In Guatemala

2008-07-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

As we are still in the process of rebuilding, let me take a moment to explain the events of the past week and the accomplishments made. Last Friday, a very good friend of mine Jeff, who I played college tennis with as well as worked with off and on in the past few years, came for the week to experience what I have been preaching since I have gone on my trips. Jeff is also a tennis instructor in the states and has helped out greatly with Sports In Motion by organizing an annual tennis tournament at Wintergreen Resort in Virginia. So upon his arrival I planned on picking him up at the airport and searching for tennis facilities in the capital to get a better understanding of the facilities and amount of tennis in Guatemala. So the day before picking Jeff up, I found a tennis club in Antigua that had 3 hard courts with various types of programming which the local pro at the facility recommended a club inside the capital. So after picking up Jeff we took a taxi to Hercules Tennis Club. After getting past security we walk into a 4 red clay and 3 hard court facility with every court filled with players as well as a fully stocked pro shop. It was truly an amazing site. Thankfully the Director of the facility was there and spoke English as he invited us into his office. We then continued to have a two hour conversation and a tour around the facility. He was very interested and shocked what I was doing in Guatemala as well as all the things Hearts In Motion is involved in. After chatting for a while and getting to know one another he set up an appointment and ride to his friend who happened to be the Representative of Tennis for the ITF(International Tennis Federation) of Guatemala. So we arrived at the site where the 1952 Central American Games where held where they had various courts, fields, pools, workout rooms, and I believe 7 tennis courts with stadium seating. We walk around the facility in amazement and then into our meeting with the representative. We talked about various tennis programs in Guatemala, especially the Davis Cup which he is in charge of sending players to as well as different tournaments that are held in the capital. The most amazing fact that he provided was about a sports complex in Zacappa that has 3 tennis courts which is only 45 minutes from where we are. So after an informative conversation with the representative it was time to meet back up with the rest of the group at the airport. The group that week was two church groups from Kentucky and I believe Illinois. After returning from the airport and settling in that day we did the routine stops the next day. We got to to feed and hand out donations at the local dump, visit Maria's daycare, and visit the nutrition center to play with the kids. After a gratifying day Saturday, Sunday came the "not so good" news with a knock on my door at 7 in the morning with Bert breaking the news that the wall had fallen. As my previous post describes the emotions regarding that let me explain what we had in store for the work week before this. Jeff and I planned to paint the lines of a tennis court on the court at the work site and hold tennis clinics in the afternoon. We planned on giving these kids their first tennis experience whether it be seeing a tennis ball for the first time or watching an actual game of the sport. Most of these kids have never seen a tennis racquet before, let alone seen how the game is played. So after waking up to the disappointing news we separated from the group to go take a look at the site. After catching 2 hours worth of buses which is a 45 minute car ride, we finally made it to see the damage. Upon arrival I had to hold back the tears. The entire court was covered with dirt and the hard work from the past 2 months was running through my mind. So right when I think matters couldn't get any worse, I was walking along the wall examining it and I step on a nail that goes right into my broken foot. So needless to say, Sunday of last week was not my day. So we stayed and worked on it for a bit before catching buses back to the hotel. So for the next three days, we had a crew out on the court picking up the pieces of broken cement and re-bar. Some of the locals came out to help in the efforts, some just to get the re-bar so they can sell it for money. But in three days, the group helped out tremendously and we got a lot done. On the last day, we cleaned off a portion of the court and pulled out all the tennis equipment for Gualan's first tennis exhibition and clinic. Jeff and myself were not going to let a mini-monsoon ruin our plans for a tennis clinic. So after getting mobbed by about 40 kids for tennis balls, we set up the net and told them to watch first. The sounds went from screaming kids to dead silence as we started hitting. The kids did not say a word during the whole exhibition. By the end of it, we had about 5 ball boys chasing every ball we hit out. After showing them how to play, between Jeff's and my donations we had about 12 rackets to hold a clinic of about 30 kids. As we set up lines and fed balls, Gualan experienced its first tennis clinic ever! With a fallen wall, massive dirt mounds, and 40-50 kids running around it was an amazing sight to see. After 4 days of intense manual labor, we decided to go with the clinic group to a local village in the mountains the next day. The views from this village was amazing and we treated around 200 people that day as well. The next day was another clinic at a town close to Zacappa. Being so close to the city, Jeff and I decided to find the sports complex the representative recommended. After making a few stops and wrong turns we find this amazing complex a mile outside of the city. This public facility had 4 basketball courts, 4 mini-soccer courts, 1 indoor basketball court, full size track with a field in the middle, 2 other full size soccer fields, an Olympic size swimming pool, and of course 3 tennis courts. As we walked around in amazement, we decided to go grab the sticks and hit a few around. The courts weren't in the best shape but the views around us made up for it all with a river near by and mountains surrounding us. I had no idea that this area of Guatemala had any tennis courts in the surrounding 100 miles, let alone an amazing sports facility. It is truly an underused and diamond in the ruff. Our discovery and playing on the last day of work was truly icing on the cake of an amazing week. It was then on to Antigua where the vacation part of the trip takes place. There is no need to explain the details of shopping, dining, and site seeing. As the week presented itself with just as many obstacles as opportunities, I feel truly blessed to experience this with the people that came down. I want to thank all the group members that helped with the rebuilding process as well as all the support of my vision for sports in this area. The work was intense manual labor in extreme heat and I appreciate all who put in valid effort. As the next group is here, I will continue the good work that the previous groups have started. Once again, thanks everyone and God Bless!

Not Good News!

2008-07-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

In the last two weeks, luck has not been on the projects best side. I regret to inform everyone that our beautiful wall that we just built has fallen down. With all the constant rain of the last couple of weeks and a night of a mini monsoon, mother nature decided to take our wall down. Before I get to how bad the situation is now, let me share how nice it was before it was taken down and how much use it was getting. Last week, the masons finished the wall with the final touches and the groups had finished the drainage ditches surrounding the court and landscaping around the court was starting to take shape. The court for the first time in 3 years had not a grain of sand on it as we hosed it down along with a broom. The drainage ditches were freshly packed with rock and the surroundings were being raked clear of minor debris. The local kids came from everywhere to play on their newly cleaned court, half with a basketball game and the other half, mini-soccer. It was an amazing site to see the whole community out there using the court that so many people had put their time and effort into reconstructing. But unfortunately the force of unseen events, such as an enormous amount of rain and water, almost put us back at square one. All of the drainage for the surrounding site of the soccer field, nutrition center, school, and a couple of houses drains right down to the court. A local woman told us that she went out to the court while it was raining one night and said that a mini "rio" runs right down through the court. The amount of water that channels down to the court is mind blowing . So the damage to the site was that the wall that runs along the long side of the court all fell down. Some good news, is that the other two side walls are still standing. But unfortunately, all the sand that was put behind those walls, one wheel barrel load at a time, is now covering the entire court anywhere from 6 inches to a foot and a half. I don't feel as bad knowing that all around the country there was flooding and landslides. Parts of Guatemala City were completely flooded and sections of roads were completely washed away by the amount of rain that night. So I am trying to keep my spirits and optimism high while we pick up the pieces of our week old wall. In situations like this, you have to look at the positive side of things and see how you can learn from it. So now with a complete understanding of how bad the rainy season can get and where the drainage absolutely needs to be, the re-conconstruction of the wall and bleachers will be bigger and better. So I hate to be the bearer of bad news and I apologize for all the hard work I know everyone put in this court but I promise this is just a bump in the road. We have two more groups coming this month with abled bodies just yearning for physical labor. So I will keep everyone updated on our progress.

Philly Picture Set 3

2008-07-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

A Big Thanks to the Donor of these 25 soccer balls being blown-up.

Grace's Burn Pile!

Penalty Kick!

Ellen's Carnival Ride!

A glimpse of the injury.

Philly Picture Set 2

2008-07-03T13:03:00.001-07:00

The second Ditch Dug in Two Weeks

There's more digging to be done!

Everyone Helping Out, Even the little ones!

Laying the Foundation

Notice where Ellen(my sister) and others are sitting

Philly Picture Set 1

2008-07-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Drainage Ditch

Finished Drainage Ditch Section

First Day of Hired Help

Afternoon Play

Overview

The Philly Group

2008-07-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lateness of this entry as the group left almost a week ago. After the Kentucky group left, Philly was right behind them ready to pick up where they left off. This group is from right outside Philadelphia from the church, Abington Presbyterian. There was about 45 people that came on this trip, with a good number of them being from their youth group which was good to see. I think it is such a great opportunity for teenagers to experience something like this before they graduate high school to give them a better understanding of what they want to study or be after graduation. Another unique fact about this group was that it was their first time to Guatemala with HIM on a mission trip. Everyplace and experience was a new one for this group which made it special. So after their arrival, we did the routine stops at the HIM house, the local dump, Maria's daycare, and then to the Zacappa hospital. All of these stops were a first experience for the group, so after being with groups that had seen this before it was interesting to see first reactions. Now it was on to the work week, starting on Sunday. Half the group was divided up into clinic and construction. The clinic group had a new village everyday that they traveled to and held a general medical clinic. The construction group was based at the nutrition center where we had various jobs divided among the group. As it turned out, the clinic needed as many interpreters as possible so I got to have most of the construction crew helping out with the court renovation. So I got to play, construction manager for the week. So we split the group up with the sandal wearing people painting cribs and the rest down at the court in the grueling heat. Our goals for this week for the court was to finish filling in the drainage ditch with rock and assist the hired mason on the retention wall and bleachers. I decided to hire a local mason and five helpers to construct a concrete retention wall and bleachers. So it worked out nicely that this group came in for the first week of construction because most of the beginning steps were to dig a ditch for the foundation and move a lot of sand around. So that is pretty much what the work week consisted of. There were various others improvements to the court as well such as the construction of a wooden trash can that was placed beside the court. A Saba tree was planted down by the court for additional shade. Landscaping, including the clear-cutting of brush and a burn pile. And of course our afternoon play of basketball and soccer was in full swing. This reminds me, I almost forgot to mention and thank an amazing person who donated 25 very nice soccer balls, pumps, and various sporting equipment. This was such a nice surprise and I promise it will go to good use. So after a couple of days of the group helping out with the retention wall, we made noticeable progress and was ready to lay down the foundation. So the last couple of days we finished up by mixing cement and wheel barreling it over to the ree-bar columns. By this time I think everyone had had enough heat and was ready to head to Antigua for some cooler temperatures as well as myself. So the last day of construction we decided to hold a soccer game with a bunch of the locals after a long day of work. After a couple hours of sweating, laughter, and the locals showing us a thing or two, my luck would have it, I dislocated my ankle. I'll explain more in adetailed motivational story about the whole incident, don't worry. So after a successful workweek of blisters, sweat, and my tears, the multi-use court was coming together very nicely. I had planned to go with the group to Antigua and then on to the coast to surf for the weekend before the next group had arrived but instead, I have been sitting on the couch with my foot up which has been driving me crazy. With my ADD and natural ambition to always be moving doing something, I cant think of a worse form of torture. But I have faith that everything happens for a reason, I just haven't found it yet. So on a lighter note, I want to thank this group from Philly for all the hard work they put in this week as well as all the encouraging words that were said. I enjoyed getting to know every single person I could and I will take your kind and motivating words with me throughout this journey. I hope this first experience with HIM was touching and you will decide to return with the same excitement and joy for ministry and of course hard work.

SIM Video

2008-06-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

A typical workday at the court!

Kentucky Pictures

2008-06-25T21:08:00.001-07:00

Picture Set 2

Notice, No Agua & Trash!

Notice the ditch and take note of how much dirt is to the left of the court.

Boys With Toys

300 ft of pipe that had to be drilled

Net Posts

Guatemalan Style!

The Wheelbarrel Crew

Notice how many locals are helping out! One thing this picture doesn't show is how the kids wanted wheelbarrel rides back up to the rock pile, in the bucket.

2008-06-25T20:41:00.001-07:00

The Kentucky Pictures

Day One

Keep this picture in mind throughout all the pictures!

Agua & Trash

Natural Drainage

Look toward the corner of the court where there the land has washed away.

Temporary Rentention Wall

This is after day 2. notice the ditch being dug on the side of the court and how much dirt is behind the retention wall. All that dirt was carried up the hill by wheelbarrels one by one.

Jack is now walking on solid ground where there used to be a 5 ft divet.

The Kentuckians

2008-06-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to find a place to start describing the experiences that this past week presented itself with. So let me start off by saying that if the state of Kentucky is like the forty people that came this week to help, I’m packing my bags for a new state(not really, you know I love Florida way too much). Well, after everyone’s arrival last Friday we made some traditional stops before even touching the worksite which included visiting the HIM house in Teculaton to make sandwiches before visiting the local dump, visiting the local dump to hand out food, clothing, and toys, visiting Maria’s daycare, and stopping by a nutritional center run by some very sweet nuns. I think these visits serve a great purpose by putting everyone’s hearts in the right place before a grueling work week begins. As we arrived on our first day at the worksite, everyone was in awe of how much progress had been done on the nutrition center since the last time they had worked on it. Before I begin to explain the work week, let me take a moment to describe the dedication and amazing accomplishments this group did even before their arrival. The group’s main project was to raise funds for the construction of forty cribs for the nursery section of the nutrition center. In their fund-raising efforts, I believe they raised close to $100,000 for this trip with events such as the cow-paddy-drop(don’t ask), corn-bag toss, and pancake breakfast. It's amazing what the power of a group of forty people can do when their hearts and minds are presented with a task and given a purpose. So back to our first day at the worksite, the entire group was there which is sometimes rare because usually there are clinics or vacation bible schools that go to other towns, so it was awesome to have everyone there. The group was divided into four task-forces, the main crib building crew, the sewing crew, the plumbing crew, and the digging crew. If you were wondering who the digging crew is wait until you see the pictures and you’ll figure it out. The first day I wanted to concentrate on clearing the court of dirt, picking up trash, and evaluate the best way to dig the ditch around the edge of the court. So for the first day we did exactly that. As the day progressed, we had about 15 people from the group and about 20 locals including kids as young as 7 and mothers as old as 30 out there helping us. By the end of the day, there were probably 30-45 locals either digging, sweeping, shoveling dirt around, wheel-barreling, playing basketball, or spectating. It was amazing to see the community pull together and help us in any way they could. By the end of the first day, we had picked up 3 bags of trash, shoveled almost all the dirt off the court, and played with the local kids for about 3 hours. It was a good day. As the week progressed, so did the progress. Each day we accomplished more than expected with noticeable improvements while finishing each day with a basketball game as well as a soccer game. The crews up top at the nutrition center were hard at work as well with an assembly line that would make Henry Ford proud. In the nutrition center there was a group cutting the wood, sanding, routing, and assembling the cribs. The sewing crew was making head-way as well, with their curtains and crib mattress covers being made. A few people were working on the bathrooms installing toilets and sinks. I feel as if I could write a book on everyday’s experiences so I’m going to spare us all and give a few highlights that this amazing group accomplished. Before I end, let me take a moment to thank everyone on this trip that not only gave 100% effort without complaint in 100 degree weather but also emotional support on the vision I have for sports in this area. The suggestions, support, hard work, and constructive criticism was greatly appreciated. Thanks Kentucky!
- First and foremost, the entire court, for the first time in 3 years, was visible and clear of dirt.
- A 2 foot wide and 1 ½ foot deep drainage ditch around the entire court was dug, filled in with a bottom layer of rock.
- Drilled every 6 inches of 300 feet of pvc piping for the drainage ditch.
- Connected 300 feet of perforated pvc pipe in the drainage ditch.
- Partially filled the ditch with larger rock on top of the pvc.
- Picked up over 5 bags of trash.
- Drained and filled the sides of the court that were submerged.
- Filled in a side of the natural wall that had been washed away onto the court and built a temporary retention wall.
- Made net posts for tennis and volleyball out of two tires, cement, and two metal pipes that a local welder helped out with for $3.

First Project

2008-06-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Clean-Up of Existing Basketball Court

As you can see, lack of proper drainage has covered the court with dirt.

As a result, when it rains the water collects around the edges of the court. If you look hard you can see trash that is littering the area.
A better view of the court where you can see the nutrition center in the upper right hand corner.
This is where all the water from the soccer field drains creating an abundance of dirt.

Projects:

- To dig a ditch around the entire court 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep.

- Fill the ditch with rock for better drainage.

- Fill in areas that have been washed away with dirt and build some kind of retention wall that will act as a permanent structure for future rain.

- Sweep and clear court of debris.

- Drill holes mid-court for posts that house a tennis net to convert it to a multi-use court where basketball, mini-soccer, volleyball, and tennis can be played.

- Eventually, cage-in court.

Materials:

- Three to four truck loads of washed rock.

- Net posts and tennis net.

- cement block

Departure and Arrival

2008-06-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

As I feel I could write a novel about my departure, arrival, and first experiences, I will try and make the condensed version for everyone's sake. My pre-departure started off the whole experience with my new home ( which happens to be a 38 foot sailboat) breaking down in the middle of the intercoastal waterway at 7:00 PM Saturday night when I'm supposed to fly out on Monday morning. What was supposed to be a routine pum-pout and fuel up turned into a disaster for my schedule and wallet. After dropping anchor in the middle of the intercoastal for 6 hours waiting for the tide to drop so we can get towed through 3 miles of narrow winding waterways, we finally get into our slip at 2:00 AM. So needless to say, my packing efforts, along with the schedule I had in mind 24 hours before I was supposed to leave was turned upside-down. After a few friends came over to say goodbye Sunday afternoon, it was back to frantic packing and last minute preparations before we had to leave for the airport at 3:00AM to catch my flight in Orlando, FL. Besides getting up at an unreasonable hour, the flight went well. After getting my bags and walking through no checking of my luggage by Guatemala's finest customs department, I was greeted by my 3 new roommates, Dan, Julio, and Robin. After greetings and hugs we were off to my new home for the next 3 months. Since we had a 3-4 hour car ride ahead of us, we all shared our story of why we were here helping out. Dan is the main field coordinator, who is here on a 3 year contract with HIM. He is originally from Michigan where he studied Spanish during college which can only help me in what I like to call my Spanglish. Julio is the other field coordinator with HIM. Julio is from Guatemala but has lived in the states for 4-5 years off and on which makes his English almost perfect. Robin is another long term volunteer with HIM and is from Oconomowoc, WI which is kind of ironic because my Aunt Vicki is also from there and she is the one who introduced me to HIM. After our journey to our new homes, which are all HIM houses, we celebrated Dan's birthday over dinner and a few drinks. After all the preparations, packing, goodbyes, and hello's I was finally where I set out to be. I would not have been able to do so though without all the help everyone has shown me which I am fully grateful for. So, a big THANK YOU to all that have made this possible for me.

Pictures of Site for SIM Sports Facility

2008-06-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Existing Soccer Field
w/ potential for soccer field with surrounding track,
bleachers, landscaping, and lights for night play.
The elementary school is the building above the field that
educates over 140 kids. There is an existing basketball court
off to the left of the picture.

Existing Basketball Court
Potential projects include clearing surface of debris and dirt
so play can resume. Create drainage so that the rainy season
does not cover court with sand. Construct a surrounding fence
for multi-use court such as tennis, mini-soccer, volleyball,
in-line hockey, etc..

Existing soccer from above. As you can see, the field is
consisted of dirt and drainage runs through the middle
of the field creating holes and rivets.

Existing Basketball court with at least a foot of dirt
on surface. A potential project for volunteer groups to
help with.